“I would suggest not to miss the concert of the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra (LCO) with a very interesting Ukrainian conductor Oksana Madarash on January 18,” said Rūta Prusevičienė, Director General of the LNPhS, when introducing the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society’s 2025 events. The programme Mozart’s Era and the 21st Century will connect millennia like a time machine. The concert will feature soloists Tadas Motiečius (accordion) and Kamilė Zaveckaitė (piano).

“The concert opens with an 18th-century gem – Symphony No.1 in C major by one of the founders of Ukrainian symphonic music, Maksym Berezovsky, often dubbed “the little Ukrainian Mozart”. In fact, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Berezovsky may have met at the Bologna Philharmonic Academy, where they studied with Giovanni Battista Martini at a similar time. Nonetheless, their works certainly meet in this concert”, says conductor Madarash.

It is worth noting that Ukrainian conductor Oksana Madarash, tonight sharing the stage with LCO, has gained the attention of important European audiences. She has been invited to international festivals in Austria, France, Germany, Poland, Hungary. Since 2007, Madarash has been conducting almost every year at the festival Operetta at Kaunas Castle. She has staged operas, operettas and musicals in various theatres. For her services to Ukrainian culture Madarash was awarded the title of People’s Artist of Ukraine in 2019. Since the outbreak of war in 2022, the conductor has been working at the Kaunas State Musical Theatre, conducting performances and concert programmes, and has been actively involved in Lithuanian musical life.

In addition to Berezovsky, the programme Mozart’s Era and the 21st Century includes another Ukrainian composer, Valentyn Silvestrov. He has once said: “I don’t write new music; my work is a response and echo of what has already been written.” Silvestrov’s The Messenger is a deeply moving work for piano and strings inviting to reflect on how the reflections of history resonate in contemporary music.

A special highlight of the evening will be the premiere of Linas Rupšlaukis’ Concerto for accordion and orchestra. It is entrusted to the exceptional soloist Tadas Motiečius, a winner of various international competitions and one of the most active accordionists in Lithuania.

At the end of the concert, the audience will be transported back to Mozart’s era and once again will be able to enjoy the splendour of his music – the overture to the opera Mitridate, rè di Ponto (Mithridates, King of Pontus) and the wonderful Piano concerto No. 23 in A major, KV 488.

Kamilė Zaveckaitė, a winner of many competitions, living in Austria, describes the upcoming concert in this way: “This programme is dear to me because it reflects the long-standing musical links between eras, cultures and traditions. It is a reminder that art is a living thread that connects the works of the past with the voices of the present. I invite you to join me on this journey through time and sound!”

Concert Mozart’s Era and the 21st Century will take place on Saturday, 18 January at 19.00 in the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Concert Hall.  For full information about the LNPhS concerts, please visit www.nationalphilharmonic.eu

We invite you to take advantage of the season ticket offer and look forward to seeing you at the concerts! NORFA is the patron of the LNPhS 84th season.

LNPhS inf.